- In October 2025, Windows 10 will officially be 'retired' and reach the end-of-life (EOL) stage.
- To allow users to keep using Windows 10, Microsoft will offer an Extended Security Update (ESU) Progam.
- Under the ESU program, Windows 10 users, including consumers will be able to pay an annual fee to keep receiving important updates.
Microsoft Windows 10 is retiring soon and will reach the end-of-life (EOL) stage in October 2025. Users who want to stay on it can still use a non-updated copy, albeit without the crucial updates. However, to help users with just that, Microsoft is coming out with Extended Security Updates for Windows 10 but for consumers this time around, too.
Commercial customers, enterprises, and individual consumers who want to keep using Windows 10 will have to enroll in this ESU program. Individuals who want to get into the program will have to pay a yearly subscription fee.
Anyone enrolled in the ESU program of Windows 10 will get all the important & critical security updates. Users once enrolled can continue for the next three years.
This has been detailed in Microsoft’s lifecycle policy for operating systems. As mentioned above, ESU stands for ‘Extended Security Update,’ and this program was present when Windows 7 retired too.
With an ESU-enabled Windows 10 environment, users can continue to get a reliable operating system without any new features (except Copilot). Microsoft is also clear that the the ESU program will only bring security updates. No new features are in the pipeline for Windows 10 after its EOL stage, due in October 2025.
For now, Microsoft has not given any pricing details for how much the ESU program will cost to consumers. It will be an annual charge, as we said before. MS will provide these details at a later date, and we will keep you updated on the same. Meanwhile, you can consider updating to the latest OS at any time after backing up your PC files. But I do understand your sentiment if you wish to stick to Windows 10 for as long as possible.
What do you think about Microsoft’s new ESU program? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
